For the month of May, Educator Appreciation Month, we're getting to know our local educators, starting with the principal at Edward C. Reed High School, to shed a light on how hard they work to mold the young minds of our community.
Educators are the backbone of schools, and in turn, schools are the backbone of our community.
Our educators are a huge part of teaching students the skills they need in life in order to graduate and progress into their adult lives.
"Teachers have such an amazing opportunity to touch the lives of so many students, and that's also a large responsibility, and it's also a big lift," said Principal Josh Rosenbloom.
"We know about the complexities of life and the different things we take on professionally, personally, and socially as we navigate adulthood, the real world, and our students get so much from their families, and it starts at home. But here at school we need to help be in line with our parents, and not just teach them how to read and to write and to reason and do math and science, but also how they can be successful as part of a community."
"Our teachers don't just teach math or English or social studies; they're teaching critical thinking skills; they're teaching interpersonal skills. There's so much involved, and every student in our classes, our teachers encounter between 28 to 35 students per class six times a day, there's so much going on, and our educators have such a big lift, and they do an amazing job each and every day."
As we move through our lives, we remember those educators who made a huge impact on us.
"This is the time of year where we start to see our alumni come back," said Principal Rosenbloom. "Just yesterday we had a young man come back who's in the military. He graduated a couple of years ago, and he came back to visit his teachers and his football coach, one of our assistant principals, because he still has that connection, and he has that connection because of the impact that was made."
As a teacher, when you welcome a group of 30 or more students in a classroom with different personalities and needs, the biggest part of being an educator is understanding each and every one of those students for who they are.
Principal Rosenbloom explains, "We don't know what their morning has brought them. We don't know if they're having a spat with their boyfriend or girlfriend, or if they had a disagreement with their parents or with one of their siblings. We also don't know if they ate that morning. We don't know what the past day looked like for them or what sort of stability they did or didn't have, so as an educator, it's having those connections with students and being able to interpret and read those students' needs because we do need to teach them the content they're there for, and we also need to connect with them."
For so many different students, educators make a lasting impact on their lives, as they've been there for most of their childhood.
Having so many alumnae come back speaks volumes to the lasting impact educators have on everyone's lives.
"I think that speaks volumes to the connections that were made and the successes that were had when those, now professionals, were students,"Â Principal Rosenbloom says.
He also says the best part about being a teacher is the connections that are made and seeing their students succeed.
"Success looks different for every student that a teacher has in their classroom, right? Obviously, the ultimate measure of success for us as public educators is making sure that students graduate and that they're ready to go on to further school or the career of their choosing and be successful and happy in life," he said.
When teachers see growth in their students academically and emotionally, it gives them a sense of pride knowing they helped their students stay prepared for their future.
"I can tell you as an educator and as someone who works with over 100 certified staff in this building, there is not a teacher out there whose day isn't made when one of their students says, 'Hey, thank you for the great work you do,' or when a parent reaches out and says, 'Thank you for the great work you do,'"Â said Principal Rosenbloom.
"I am not aware of a job that is more dynamic, challenging, or difficult than being a public educator. I also am unaware of a job that is as rewarding."
He emphasized that Educator Appreciation Month is so important to highlight how much work an educator does and how much we ask them to do as a community.
"It means so much to all educators because we are also part of a school community, and I, as principal, think it is absolutely essential that all of our teachers and all of our educators in this building receive the thanks that they deserve."
